A combative Aaditya names and shames rebels

Mumbai: Hours after the Shiv Sena’s national executive affirmed faith in the leadership of Uddhav Thackeray, his heir apparent Aaditya Thackeray made his own outreach to party workers at Mahalaxmi. Terming the rebels as “dirt” that the party had been rid of, he dared the rebel MLAs to resign and contest by-polls against the Shiv Sena.

All though Saturday the party was in fire-fighting mode. While Aaditya Thackeray addressed party workers at Mahalaxmi’s Lala Lajpatrai college, party MP Arvind Sawant addressed workers at an auditorium in Charni Road, and Sena chief spokesperson and MP Sanjay Raut addressed a gathering of workers in Kandivali.

The growing prominence of Aaditya and his Yuva Sena functionaries in party affairs is being forwarded as one of the key reasons for the rebellion by Eknath Shinde. The meeting at Mahalaxmi was a way to underscore the Aaditya’s role as the future of the party. Sources say that he will be holding many such meetings across the city ahead of the crucial Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election scheduled in a few months’ time.

A key moment in his address came when he began naming key rebels calling them turncoats. “Dilip Lande held my hand and said that he would not leave the party and yet he went. I challenge him to tell me about one development work that I did not do for him. Similarly, we had planned several tourism projects in Sandipanji’s [Bhumre] constituency. It feels bad that our people left in this manner.” Hitting out at Mahim legislator Sada Sarvankar, Thackeray said, “Sada bhaagte rehte hai (Keeps running forever). He had quit the party earlier too and then came back.”

Striking a combative note, the 32-year-old Thackeray said, “The dirt from the party has gone, now whatever would happen will be for the better.” The betrayal came from within the party and not an ally, he said. This was the same venue from where two years ago he had announced his decision to contest as MLA from Worli. “We have resolved to fight and emerge victorious. If they have the guts to fight against the Shiv Sena then they must resign and contest the election; we are ready. I know that our warriors will not let them even campaign in Maharashtra,” he declared amid loud cheers by the audience.

Expressing confidence about winning floor test in the state legislature, Thackeray said that the rebel MLAs would also have to face the floor test of the Shiv Sainiks. “The road from the airport to Vidhan Bhavan goes through either Parel or Worli and Byculla, we will all see them on the day there is a floor test and you will too. Mumbai and Maharashtra are ours, and we will not let one else rule it,” the MLA from Worli.